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MorningMagazine_2025-05-19 Jackie Sedley
Boulder New Homes Ordinance
Boulder City Council has unanimously approved a new set of rules for properties in fire-prone areas.
The new building ordinance mandates the use of fire-resistant materials and landscaping around new homes that border flammable landscapes and are at higher risk.
The rules are part of a broader push to prevent flames and embers from spreading during a wildfire. For now, they only apply to new construction and certain remodels.
It also expands the boundaries of Boulder’s wildland-urban interface, which designates homes with significant fire risk. Before the ordinance, the interface included 4,600 properties; now, it’ll include over 16,000.
If the ordinance gets final approval from officials, it’ll go into effect August 1.
That’s all according to Boulder Reporting Lab.
BoCo Cyclist Fatal Hit-And-Run
Police are looking for the driver of a blue Toyota Highlander involved in a hit-and-run that killed a cyclist in Boulder County.
The incident happened just before noon yesterday, at 95th Street and Avocet Lane. 9News says the cyclist was hit when the driver veered into the bike lane. The cyclist was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Toyota Highlander driver left the scene driving north on 95th Street. Police said the vehicle sustained heavy front-end damage.
Colorado State Police (CSP) are asking any individuals who have information on the crash to contact 303-239-4501 and reference case number 1D251939.
McCartney Statue
A Colorado LGBTQ+ group is asking CU Boulder to reconsider plans to put a statue of former football coach Bill McCartney at Folsom Field.
Mardi Moore, the Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Equality, said that the proposed statue is divisive because of the late coach’s outspoken anti-gay rhetoric, according to 9News.
In addition to coaching CU football, McCartney founded Promise Keepers, a conservative ministry that promotes so-called traditional family values. McCartney once told the New York Times that homosexuality is, in his words, an abomination. He later asked for forgiveness for that remark.
CU officials say the statue is to commemorate McCartney’s football legacy. McCartney, who died earlier this year, led the Buffs to their only national championship in 1990, and remains the winningest head coach in the program’s history.
Moore said a statue honoring McCartney would be a poor representation of what CU should stand for. McCartney’s organization Promise Keepers responded in a statement and called the complaints “arrogant.”
Denver ATC Radio Transmissions
The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, is also investigating a loss of communication between the Denver Air Traffic Control Center and pilots flying into Denver International Airport.
The loss of communication last week lasted for about ninety seconds, according to the Denver Post. Initial reports from Denver7, which broke the story, said it lasted for up to six minutes.
The FAA said that air traffic controllers switched to a radio frequency reserved for pilots in distress, and were able to communicate that way.
The Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center is based in Longmont. In addition to Colorado, it serves eight other states, including Arizona, Kansas, Utah, and New Mexico.
The incident came after similar telecom outages in Newark, New Jersey. But unlike those incidents, radar screens in Denver did not go blank, according to The Guardian. There are currently about 3,500 fewer air traffic controllers than targeted staffing levels.
Another Wolf Death
The fourth of fifteen wolves released in Colorado at the beginning of this year has died.
Colorado Politics says the wolf was a female, and died in northwest Colorado. An examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
The fifteen wolves released in January came from British Columbia as part of Colorado’s reintroduction program. They were released into Pitkin and Eagle counties, but have ranged far beyond those areas. Two of the fifteen died in Wyoming and another died in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Several reintroduced wolves from an earlier group have also died in Colorado.
The reintroduction program has been controversial largely because wolves are natural predators, and are known to attack and kill livestock. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said last week they had hired eleven range riders in an effort to minimize future wolf conflicts.
Tornados, Severe Weather Cause DIA Flight Delays
Severe weather forced the delay of nearly 900 flights at Denver International Airport yesterday.
The Denver Post, citing the FlightAware website, says that thirteen flights were cancelled outright.
The travel interruptions came while at least six tornados were seen in eastern Colorado Sunday afternoon. One touched down near Arapahoe Park about 25 miles southeast of Denver, three were reported in different parts of Bennett, and another was spotted near the Kansas-Colorado border. The three Bennett sightings appeared to be the same tornado touching down three times, according to Arapahoe County sheriff’s officials.
The tornado destroyed or damaged at least 17 buildings, including six homes, but no injuries were reported as of yesterday afternoon.
